And then there was pumpkin pie...

After returning home this afternoon from a very productive and pleasant Saturday morning I picked the box out of my plastic bag and placed it on the counter. Shockingly eager to get on with my next task.

I had been very eager to have pumpkin pie all season. It's like a burning passion with me, probably from the fact that during Thanksgiving with my family I was the pumpkin pie cook. It made me feel great making something so tasty that I got to share with my family. Fast forward to now and I haven't had a pumpkin pie in three years because Japan has a severe lack of normal sized ovens, like I've mentioned before.

This is the first holiday season that I had access to a kitchen in which to call my own (after a fashion) and can bake freely. So I went looking for my regular things to make pie, and found (not really to my dismay) that canned pumpkin is either non-existent, extremely hard to find, or it's camouflaged in an effort to put me off making it into a pie. I wandered into my local (shnazzy) grocery store to find a pumpkin that they were willing to cut off chunks for me. It was quite a pumpkin and after consulting my recipe on how to make this pumpkin I found out that I need a half (specifically). Thus I came home with a half of a pumpkin. I figured that since it was nearly a foot and a half in diameter that it would make enough puree to make pie.

This being my first go at making it out of the pumpkin and the lack of  cutely labeled "pie pumpkin" or "sugar pumpkin" I went with what I could find. All eager I dug out the innards and made a huge mess separating the pulp from the seeds. Dancing to classic rock on Radio Norge while making a mess made me so terribly happy, I have to tell you. So into the oven my pumpkin half went ( meat side down on foil ) and I waited the hour and a half while drinking tea and editing my story in anticipation for Nanowrimo.

I also prepped the seeds for baking, boiling it in super salty water for 10-15 mins. Then rolling it with a bit of olive oil. Onto a foiled pan they went. Ready to throw in.

Hour and a half later popped it out and after waiting less time than I should have, I started digging with a spoon. After digging most of it out and putting it into a bowl I started to get the idea that I had more than enough. My mixing bowl was overflowing. I didn't even dig straight to the edges as some parts were still hard. (I learned later that I could just peel off the skin or cut it off. I would have had even more! I'll be sure to do that next time)

After putting the seeds in the oven and baking them, I realized that I couldn't find a food processor (my borrowed kitchen) After another half hour of digging I decided to wait till my friend's got home. Sure enough they did and gave me a cool little glass shaped food processor, so bits at a time I pureed the pumpkin.

My first crust with ready made puff pastry was a disaster after I tried to prebake it. I successfully made the largest croissant ever. Try 2, put pastry bits together and mush much more.

Spices, after figuring out which spice was what in Norwegian I realized that the cloves were whole. So after borrowing the weight-lift mortar and pestle  I ground it down. It worked so well I can't imagine not having one of these in the future. Also crushing things with a big stone stick is awesome. It certainly has nothing to do with the fact that I feel like an alchemist when I do it... of course not...

Anyway viking milk (evaporated milk), spices, eggs, sugars, and pumpkin later, I had a lovely base and threw it into the newly mashed puff pastry crust. I hoped that it wouldn't poof up like it did previously.

Another hour and fifteen minutes later it came out, and my handmade (because I couldn't find a mixer) whipped cream later, I got to share pumpkin pie to the family I'm staying with. It was a hit! Not to mention that I'm extremely psyched about making it from scratch (crust notwithstanding)

Now what to do with the extra puree? Well that's why I got that box of freezer bags! Measuring up a cup at a time, I found that I had enough for four pies. My puree is now happy and freezing up to be made later into muffins, bread, and soup.

The whole things was tons of fun and worked out great. I can't believe I didn't start doing this before. What about mini-pumpkin pies? That would be amazing! Oh the possibilities!

Until then though... Nanowrimo! Four days till the start! GO GO!

My pie recipe:
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/suzannes_old_fashioned_pumpkin_pie/

The instructions for the seeds:
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/toasted_pumpkin_seeds/

Both of them worked out amazingly.

Picture of the post:

Street art near Oslo S. Colorful and lovely.

Oslo Ice Bar

Oslo Ice Bar

http://www.icebaroslo.no/

   So on the evening of my 30th birthday I went to the ice bar in Oslo. Apparently I have to do something interesting and unique for that birthday or else I'm just not cool. (no honestly, someone told me that). So reservations made for 9pm, I walked into the gift store part of the store. The entrance fee is 160nok. 

  A little bit further in they have walls of capes with gloves attached, there is also a set of very hearty looking boots. Capes on and I suddenly look like an Eskimo. Well a very poncho-y Eskimo. The double set of airtight door later we walk into the room that is -5 degrees. We have a reservation, they always start on the hour and last for 45 mins. After the 45 mins, they kick you out. 

Theme for this year is "The Nautilus"

    Maelstrom- Bunches of something, tasting cinnamony and like Christmas. The more you drink, the more the lip of the cup conforms to you and eventually you have a curved lip impression in the cup. Yes the cups are ice. Holding onto them takes two hands just to make sure it doesn't drop.

   It's cold but between the cape and gloves it's not unpleasant at all. After ordering a maelstrom the bartender takes one of the square glasses and hands it to me.

The square there is the menu, it's made out of plastic.

All the chairs are also made out of ice, although there are seats on top of it to keep you from sliding off of it, or leaving too much of an impression. The tentacles also come out of the walls.

The tables too had bits of bubbles on top, and other imperfections to keep your glass from sliding around as it does on any smooth surfaced ice. We were told that the ice was brought from a river in northern Norway.

               All of the carvings are inside the walls, or inside pillars. It looks like they cut a section off and carved inside then put it back. It is extremely impressive. I was a fan of the jellyfish.

         One overbearing question in my mind was why only 45 minutes? So I made sure to ask the bartender before I left.
         You can only stay around for 45 minutes because:

1. The drink mixes freeze.
2. The bartender freezes.
3. While you are inside alcohol doesn't effect you very quickly. Once you step outside and resume normal warmth, it strikes. The bartender told me that it happens quite often that people walk outside and five minutes later are very smashed. All the alcohol hits at once. So in order to keep the patrons safe, they make sure that you don't give yourself alcohol poisoning by accident.

     It was quite interesting. Since they change the theme every year, it wouldn't be unpleasant to just check it out once a year. Not sure I'd go more often than that, it was certainly pretty interesting though.

    Lots of pics here, next up 1Q84 review. 

Yes! He's an indoor cat!

     Alright for starters, it's 9 Celsius outside and that just makes me want to go for a walk. I took my cat out and the smokey cool air is beautiful. Not to mention the trees which are also amazing. Zim is slowly taking to walking around his new area, but he always seems happier on the way back home. Yes, I take my cat for walks. An important tip here is that:

                  1. He needs a collar with his name, my phone number, my name, but most importantly his microchip number. This is actually not standard for cats to have microchips and collars, but it is exceedingly necessary to keep him or her safe.
                  2. Lift your cat over the threshold of your house when you go and come back. Don't let the cat walk out by themselves or you'll find that they'll go for the door when you do. If you are the keeper of the door they won't. This is if you have an indoor cat.

     I have found that I have to have to explain why my rules are what that are conversations with different people in order to ensure that my cats rules are followed. This would seem pretty simple, but due to cultural differences has lead to confusion.

     Yes, my cat stays indoors. Unless we go for walks.

1.            But why?! They ask cats are meant to roam free and love the outdoors! Let him out (>.<")

• Well yes I say, feral cats do. So do bears, hedgehogs, and foxes, other (domestic or feral) cats, and dogs. (Norway) So do actually feral cats and domestic ones roaming around, roaming dogs, domestic outdoor dogs, crows that are bigger than cats, and other assorted goodies. (Japan) 
• Along with that FIV and feline lukemia is rampant among your feline population that is so happily "getting wild" in the middle of cities and urban areas. (Japan)  Like I previously said, FIV and lukemia among cats is easy to spread, not to mention fights and other injuries sustained from simply dealing with other animals(Norway)
• Have I mentioned the cars? Oh yes, There are cars driving around at all hours of the day and night like a racetrack about 10 second from my front door. (Japan)  Oh yes, the cars too. About one minute away, lots of cars driving around. (Norway)
• Along with being healthier, less injured, and still being able to get plenty of exersise indoors (and if your cat isn't you need to fix that yourself by playing with them or buying climbing apparatuses, ect.) Studies have shown that indoor cats on average live several years more than outdoor cats. That part isn't such a surprise to me. 

    2.             But cats love to eat indoor food! (O.O) Why are you throwing shoes at me?

• Let me be clear here. I have worked tirelessly with my cat, training him to ignore human food. At most he sniffs it and leaves it alone. I don't push that though, so by offering human foods you are attempting to teach him bad habits that I've worked so hard not to have. 
• You know those cats that jump up on the table and are eating your food the second you turn away? Yea, that's what happens when you teach a cat to eat human food. Remember to lock the fridge and put away all foods left on counters. 
• My cat is 6kg (13lbs.). A very large strong cat. He can open sliding doors and push open anything that is not super sealed. I'm lucky he hasn't figured out how to grab cabinets open yet. You honestly think Your foods would be safe?
• As far as cheese and cream. Most adult cats are lactose intolerant. I have no desire to clean up after he gets sick everywhere. 
• Many other regular household plants, herbs, and random foods will make your cat (and other animals) sick, send them to the hospital, or they might be poisonous. If you don't think chocolate right now you haven't done your homework. 

   You think these two simple rules would be easy, but many people seem to want to argue with me about them. Here are some things about my cat that everyone thinks isn't very cat-like. 

• My cat loves showers (trained from kittency)
• He sleeps at night (again trained)
• He plays fetch (not sure I taught him that)
• He like warm water (this is apparently strange for some reason)
• He likes to go on walks with a harness and leash (that's taken effort)
• He gets off things when he's told to 
• We successfully have changed where we live about four times, and he's adapted just fine (different countries too)
• He learned that kittens are just that, and human children are fragile and to be patient with them. (carefully trained and monitored) He's still learning to be patient when they rub him the wrong way.. literally. 

     Yes he does many things that are strange for cats, but he's still my cat. I just wish I wouldn't have to keep explaining myself to everyone. 

     And now, the picture of the post: 

Zim and beautiful lace knit scarf, taken by Lucy and knitted by her too!

     

             

Kitchens, food, and teatime

Kitchens!

         Ok, so I talked a bit about how in love I am with the farmer's market and the abundance of veggies, fruit, fruit products, and fresh.. everything! So I suppose I shouldn't squee about that more.

         Kitchens however are another thing. Lets take a moment to look at a kitchen in Japan. (where I was until I moved to Norway) Along with stovetops and counters all kitchens have a microwave/convection oven. The note here is even at it's largest the convection ovens are the size of large (burly) microwaves. They are used often and with zeal. Every convenience store all over the place asks if you'd like your food heated. Grocery stores often have a microwave just past the checkout. So microwaves everywhere.
         However if you want something baked, go to a bakery. There is the only way to find moderate sized breads, cookies, pastries, ect. Generally anything made at home is a mini from what anyone from the US thinks. (Portion sizes aside here) So with mini-cookies in tow, we turn to Norway.
         Kitchen things abound here, fresh food, herb plants in every grocery store for easy pickup (In Japan I had to go to a special arboretum just to get a basil plant for comparison). In groceries there are many pan cook options, but not so many microwave meals. Why you ask? In the age of the microwave? Well (in my limited experience so far, three homes) I haven't run across a microwave in basic homes. Very nice stovetops and standard (US and Norwegian standard I suppose, looking at the appliance) ovens.
         Can I tell you how happy I am to have an oven around? The option of making cookies and brownies is great and wonderful. Those and land of lakes hot chocolate (it is the right time of year). Oh wait where was I? Ah, ovens. Yes "standard" size.

  On "standard" Asian foods.....

         On finding Asian food here in Norway. It's interesting that Indian food is so different here than in Japan. Generally both are made by people from that region. I suppose the only explanation is that there is a regional difference in the food and that certain regions of curries became popular here vs. Japan. It's a bit disconcerting to have my friends tell me that various Indian food is "standard", what that really means is that it's "standard" for most Indian restaurants here in Norway. Not to be confused with "standard" all over the world. Aka, I cannot find my wonderful dal makani or mutter paneer here. Oh well.
         Moving onto Chinese food. I find it quite similar to most Chinese that I've had in the US, although Chinese food in Japan is a totally different set of dishes to choose from. Perhaps that's coming from different regions too. Ramen is also quite common and popular, which was originally from China. That's of course impossible to find here in Norway. Ramen here = cup ramen, or college ramen.
        Japanese food is the same as it is in the US. If you can't cook it yourself, there is a likelyhood that you haven't actually had Japanese food. Sushi of course is everywhere, but I'm not counting that. Nori-maki of various sorts (same as the US) is rampant. I'm not a fan of sushi, although straight sashimi (meat cuts only) are often quite refreshing. It's hard to come back to places that pay exuberant amounts of money for fish and rice, sometimes not even fish, just veggies or cheese (O.o). So to get a good yakisoba, udon (of any kind), soba(in any fashion), tonkatsu, oden, or anything of the sort it requires having a good cookbook (which luckily I gave a set of fantastic bilingual cookbooks to a friend, I will tell you the name soon) and an Asian market/Japanese market.

Teatime

        I'm pretty notorious for telling people that (strangely like sushi.. which I don't dislike, I just don't fancy it often as other people I know..) "You can't say that you don't like teas if you have only had one. That lipton stuff doesn't cut it."
        Whether it's black, green, herbal, white, medicinal, comforting, or just plain morning tea, I love them all dearly for their differences and the fact that they bring me interesting tasting beverages. Warm or cold, these teas fit a taste for almost everyone. Granted after trying many teas, you may still not be convinced about how great it is, but you should at least give them a shot.
         So I'm used to green tea, many varieties, but we'll stick to the basics. I'm often a fan of sencha, or a variety with mint (very refreshing and good for your stomach). Now the catch here for me is that outside of Japan I have a really hard time finding sugarless (or any other sweetener) green tea, or green tea drinks.
        Previously at a starbucks I made them remake my drink several times, because they kept putting melon syrup in my matchafrappa. The US version is sickly sweet to me, and unfortunately in with that sugar you lose the bitter green tea mixed with the smooth creamy frappa taste. I cannot abide sugar in my green teas as they are supposed to be a bit bitter, to have it sweet is flipping the whole notion on it's head. Also I do not find it as refreshing as a solid cup of green tea. Sadly this means that any cold green tea (with no sweetener) I will get I have to make on my own. I honestly have no idea how sugar in that became a hit, but then again I am in love with Earl Grey with milk and sugar. I've been told that were I to do that in England, I'd be kicked out on principle. Ah well.


        Different places I recommend to check out the teas: (these stores sell loose leaf teas, prepare yourself!)
           Norway: Palais du te. Blue london (classic, earlgrey-ish, very smooth)
                      There are many good teas here.
           US: Teavana. Javana Mate (mild coffee flavor, really good morning tea, especially if coffee is too strong)
                                 Samurai Chai (cinnamon and other spices, warm, comforting tea)
           Japan: Lupicia. Champagne Rose (light, great aroma, subtle rose flavor)
                                   Any of the green teas (huge variety of them), also the fruit flavored teas are quite nice.

What am I drinking right now? Earl Grey Creme (teavana).
Listening to Kimbra: Vows. Extremely good cd.

Till the next time. Oh and here is your random picture of the post:

Sunset near Aker Brygge

       

Mastreif, Book Festival, Oslo Culture day!

Mastreif

       So this past weekend was Mastreif (The Oslo Farmer's Market). So the producers that usually go to all the farmers markets all around the country are for one weekend in one place. Amazing amounts of good food, great produce and interesting things. Tons of cheese and sausages though. So it started on Friday afternoon which is when my friend and I showed up. I wanted to beat the rush....

         

        Yes.. this is before the crowd...

    Notice how easy it is to get into the stalls.. as we were here longer the more crowded it became.. be ready for bits of people's arms and such in pictures.

     So lots of handmade goods, olive oil, herbs, fruit, veggies, sausages, artisan cheeses, artisan juices. I picked up mountain picked raspberries and blueberries. Which I enjoy every morning for breakfast now.

  Salmon was huge also, these were small gourmet creations, 3 tastes for 20 kroner. Which was a decent price. I wasn't really thinking and ate before coming to the farmer's market.. silly me.

        They were having a meat grading contest as we walked by, they were staring at various cuts of meats and grading them. It was pretty interesting.

       This lady is a honey producer who is at my farmer's market usually, I picked up some unfiltered honey from raspberry flowers. I found the lavender flowers a bit too sweet for me, but still amazing. She was very adamant about the differences, and they were extremely differing in flavor. I'm very happy with my new, not extremely sweet, with a bit of fruity , honey!

     Hand made amazing chocolates too!
     Yes, I passed them up, I decided that the fruit was a better investment for my money. I'm still very happy with my choice, but I'm also happy I have a picture.

  

  Book Fair!

     We went looking for coffee after Mastreif, and stumbled on a book fair. Not just on this street, but it was all over the area in tents everywhere. Cheaper books, free bags, author's signings. I have a novel I want to read very badly, but it's in Norwegian. I'll get there soon. Here are some pictures from the book fair. Interestingly, not just of stacks of books (of which there were tons!)

     The people running this tent were very kind in letting me take pictures and the typewriter was very neat! I was extremely happy to have run across it!

Oslo Culture Day

      It was also brought to my attention that this day was (also, in addition to everything else that day) Oslo Culture Day. Which meant that all the museums, parliament, the palace, ect were open and had events going on all day and night. My friends met up that night for dinner and headed to the Munch-museet (The Munch Museum)  

     Famous for the painting The Scream

(this image is from the Munch Museum, and copyright to the artist, obviously)

      Interestingly this painting is also one of the most expensive publicly held paintings, thus making it extremely popular to try and steal. So, security at the museum was tight, but not oppressive. Also, we didn't even get to see any of the paintings because as soon as we whisked into the museum, enjoyed the live jazz playing in the cafe, we headed downstairs. We were off to make masks. 

     Masks using our own faces for a base! How do you do this? I'll tell you... (someone else has to make your mask on your face, thus requiring two people)

•        Vaseline your face (all of it, including eyebrows and hairline)- I recommend someone helping you with this, also you can't have enough, put it on thick.
•        Take a strip of saran wrap and lay it across your eyes, protecting them. The strip can go all the way to both temples and into your hairline.
•        Take (max ~1in.) strips of plastercast, dip into water and place on face (make the mask)
•        Be sure to swirl your fingers around to smoothe the plaster around so you dont have so much linen grid showing. 
•        Make sure that the nose ridge is strong enough (or else it will crack when removed. 
•        Wait until it is dry, and slowly remove. You have a mask
•        Add more plaster cast to smooth out edges, fill parts in. Take tissue paper and watered down glue and apply to top and edges to smooth the whole thing out. Paint, or whatnot as liked. 

       It was terribly messy! Also tons of fun. 

       We were not the only adults doing this, but we weren't all adults either and everyone was having a good time trying to make scream masks. 

       After a nightcap of hot chocolates and cortados(expresso with milk, in my case; double expressos) we headed back to the bay to watch the fireworks show. I did take pictures of it, but they never turn out quite as I expect. I should look into taking pictures of fireworks, they are quite hard. All in all a very full, fun, and lovely day. I highly recommend being around for these events next year around September 14th, 2013! See you there :)

Here is your surprise picture, enjoy!

       

The long-short walk home

It happened again, I'm in a whole different country, different rules, different culture, but I can't seem to get away from things I've learned through a lifetime of indoctrination.

I got off of my tram, my stop is on top of a mountain in the seemingly populated suburbia of the hills outside of Oslo. It's midnight or there abouts, people are coming home from culture night (more on that later), drinking, having a good time, or whatever. Before I exit the tram I see the group of three guys in the middle of the back getting ready to exit too while I do. Both sets of us get off, the three of them and me. We both start down the hill. They don't change sides, they don't go the other way, they go the direction that I go.

It doesn't help that I don't understand Norwegian yet so they are just saying a bunch of things that I can't understand. I am very happy because my street is an obscure (not this way) street, I expected them to turn up the first street. I was wrong. They follow me up the not so well light street that is deserted except for me and them. Their shoes shuffling along the ground and their laughter and talking taking up the silence. Pulling out my keys I have them in my hand and I feel the anxiety creep in. The desire to turn around and tell them to  get further away from me, or threaten them, tell them to back off. Which of course would either be over the top or not help anything.

They kept pace with me it seemed like even though I know I sped up a bit, very eager to put space between me and them. My eyes looked happily toward the private drive that I get to walk down just a bit farther up the street. The noises they make just encompass me, surround me, I feel their presence entirely too close for my comfort on this darkened street.

Crossing the main street I pass into the private drive and feel a bit better until I hear them split off and one continue to follow me, feet keeping pace with mine. This would be all well and fine, there are houses with people right next to me, but to get to my house I have to walk through a solidly dark patch beside one of the houses.

I want to turn around, but I really can't. Can't stop either, have to just go forward and trust in the best. My feet cross into the darkness and I hear it, his keys opening the door to the house I just passed. I would be relieved  but I'm so strung up by this time when I reach my door it takes me three tries to get the key in.

 When I tell people I like being in places where I can run at night. It's a facet of this, not having to deal with the simple anxiety of being around people that I shouldn't have been taught are threatening. Not having to be around people or things that aid to that threatening feeling. I'm in Norway, It's pretty safe, but the knee jerk reaction is still there.

I'm not sure how to say this other than, anyone who didn't know me would say this is just an extreme reaction. I'm not really the extreme reaction type, but I still have these thoughts in situations like that. I also know that the fact that somehow this has become a 'how you take care of yourself' thing, by being anxious in these situations, and that it's sometimes nessecary.... is just sad. It shouldn't be needed and this kind of feeling and reaction shouldn't be something that future generations of women should have to 'learn for their own good'.

I look forward to the day when this kind of anxiety doesn't creep up on me simply because I'm on a dark street with a group of other people...

Farmers Market

      So between last night's late night session filled with instant coffee and family conference filled Guild Wars 2, and this morning's early morning rush to the farmer's market in Oslo I've had about... four and a half hours of sleep. Don't mind the odd synonyms that might pop up you grammar nazis you.
      I recently moved into a new apartment, while I say apartment I actually mean room in someone's house. It's really that. I have a room and a bathroom and soon to be kitchen of my own in the bottom floor of someone else's house. However, in the meantime, they have kindly accepted me into their home and offered to let me use their kitchen (which is beyond lovely) while mine is still being made. It is actually a wonderful situation all things considered. Here's to hoping I get to keep it.
      With this in mind, and the fact that I still am looking for work in this large city, I have delegated that I should keep a tight budget. So for the past week I've eaten pb&j and bread and norvega (a very popular, albeit simple white cheese). Not bad eats to say the least. I did go grocery shopping, buy myself more bread and a bit of salmon since it's terribly cheap. With these things in mind I went to the farmer's market.
     Oh the Oslo farmer's market.
     I remember the Raleigh farmer's market, where you went to get fresh produce for cheaper than the super markets. Why is it cheaper than the supermarkets? Is it because people are too lazy to be brought out for the simple desire to want better produce than what is in stores? No, that couldn't be it. In any case, it makes you wonder how those farmers make a living doing that.
    Oslo farmer's market, arrive early or leave without vegetables. Simple. Oh and one of the more popular veggie ladies that I've been introduced to is a producer for one of the restaurants that has a few Michelin stars under it's belt. She's got ecological good produce. Fresh cheese, berries, jams, meats, honey are all usually seen at the market. Everyone is very particular about what they do. The rasberry man has rasberries, Honey group has honey and honey products, fish people have fish they've caught recently and packaged. All the meat you can ask when they caught it themselves, they'll tell you.
    Was I frugal and saved money you ask? Um.. well no. I came out with a very typical (but from a very prestigious, wonderfully awesomely tasty producer) cured elk sausage, fresh made jam (forest berries, currants, and vanilla.. if you aren't drooling, you aren't human ~~seriously~~), and reindeer hamburger patties, precooked, they kind of melt in your mouth, no chewing necessary. Yes, I tried one, they were making them there, I also tried the jam before buying it too.
    Was it extremely cheap you ask? Absolutely not. Those three things cost as much as the whole of my basic shopping yesterday. Was it absolutely worth every kroner? Certainly. Telling producers that I like their goods with my money and that I am willing to pay for quality over convenience is worth noting. I like that these farmers aren't losing money when they come to sell to us.
    Paying a little bit more for quality always matters, supporting local people and letting them see your face too. I always try to buy local produce no matter where I am, it's just nice to be able to smile at the people you get some of it from every once in a while.
 
    Next week: Super market! In front of city hall! I have completely forgotten the name, but with 70 producers going to be there, it will be a blast.

Coffee and other needs in a new place

       I'm going to see if I can get this more off the ground here. Well I've moved. I had been in Japan, Utsunomiya, for a little more than three years. Found lots of amazing cafes, restaurants, little shops, fantastic places to sit, and fabulous places to relax in. I will certainly be back, there is more to be seen there and many of my close friends are there.
       More on that later, for now I'm going to talk some about the necessary bits of moving to a new place. No, not the duldrum "job, language, cat food, train stations" bits. We all know that those are there. I'm talking about the fundamental things that I need to function as a more happy little human in a new area regardless of the place. I have also found that I can do this with more ease than lots of people, something having to do with a wanderlust in the blood, but enough about that.
       Ok, needs for Lyn life. I'm actually a pretty simple person after a fashion. Coffee, exercise, accomplish something, internet.
      1. Internet- Well I'm lucky to have great friends who have marvelous internet in their house. I of course can't stay here all the time, so I pack up my little netbook and shuffle onto the train for a ride into Oslo proper. There are actually several places that I've found that have internet available, libraries of course have wireless internet available if you get a guest pass from them. Also various shops or cafes might have it. They have signs stating as such. I found one cafe that has wireless internet and nice chairs, so it is very adequate for my needs.
     2. Exercise- With the abundance of parks and natural areas with walking paths, exercise here is easy to do. Pretty much everyone does. Men, women, and children in exercise clothes and with gear accompanying get on trains and off, bike to work, ski after cars in the street, ride skooters around town agilely avoiding pedestrians, joggers are everywhere. People in exercise clothes are never given a second glance by other travelers because at one point or another everyone is one. Shops tote various grades of clothes for the occasion from sweatpants to casual professional grade gear. It's extremely impressive.
          I've looked into lots of different things to do, I bike in the apartment on a stationary bike, walk for hours too, and ran less than I liked. I looked into Krav Maga. I might try that once I'm a bit more settled. I found a bellydancing studio that was holding Zumba classes during the summer months. I figured I'd try the zumba, and get to know the teacher. Zumba being upbeat music, latin in origin usually and lots of dancing style choreography. Also, since my teacher is a bellydancing teacher I'm pretty sure we are doing things that other more standard zumba classes don't. It is pretty challenging and I find that when the older ladies in the class are schooling me I get pretty embarrassed. I am learning fast though and am doing much better with the various routines than when I started.
            I saw a man going into the class after mine with this girlfriend and I smiled and wished him luck and all the best. He was sure to have fun at least. It certainly makes one chuckle trying to keep up.

Oslo Magendans Studio (in Norwegian)
         3. Accomplish something- Other than meeting people and making connections as to where things are or how to get from one place to another, or slowly hearing different words and understanding them. I like more concrete accomplishments, things I can say "I did" Well I'm doing zumba right now and I'm surviving and thriving at it. It is very out of my normal set of things. It's not rock climbing, jogging, swimming, or my normal things. Some times it's a bit frustrating, but I find that continuing to try and pushing myself to learn the various parts gives me a sense of accomplishment at the end.
          4. Coffee- Saved the most important for last. Coffee.. You'd think that this was standard, but similar to the canned, instant varieties that you find in Japan, good coffee isn't a right. It's a privilege. Also noting that canned coffee you drink like a shot, hoping it never hits your tongue. Yes, it really is that unpleasant. Ok, so coffee in Oslo. Not bad, but not dark.
          Right before I left Japan the Starbucks in the mall (and already I hear some people going Starbucks nooooo!!! But bear with me) started carrying a blonde roast of coffee as standard. Now, generally when I make coffee at home I can drink it black just fine, but Starbuck's coffee is usually a very dark roast so I require milk. That's still alright. I tried the blonde roast, strangely not having done the research on it, thinking that it would be lighter in flavor just a bit.
          I was so very wrong.
          It was nigh undrinkable for me. I've been inundated by dark roasts my whole life and now this. It's almost vinegary in flavor and after a few sips actually starts hurting my stomach.
          How is this relevant you ask?   Well if you ask for coffee (straight coffee) from a shop and they go to a carafe to pour it out, 9 times out of 10, it's going to be this blonde roast. The coffee will not only have been sitting in that pot for a while, but it will be that lovely vinegar flavor that I love so much. I accidentally got a cup at a cafe not realizing and couldn't even power through it. I drank half of it, and had to push it away.
         Not to say there isn't good coffee around, generally in that instance any cafe will have an espresso machine and it will have that lovely dark roast coffee. Obviously because you can't make espresso out of blonde roast. So when in doubt order a double americano (2 espresso shots with hot water). That will get you pretty close to a cup of coffee if you are desperate.
       A couple of places are standardly good and I'll continue looking for more, but for right now, my go-tos are: Wayne's Coffee.
          Wayne's is a pretty standard (we have coffee, and chairs) kind of shop. They are pretty much everywhere, within walking distance from any train station. They are also laced with free wifi, added bonus. This makes them a favored spot for me. I particularly like the Wayne's down the street from National Theatre Station. I've sat and written on my story for a long time. It's a very nice place. Cup of coffee 27nok($4.50), refill 7nok($1.17) and yes that's pretty cheap.
           In stations or in malls you'll run across BIT (bee-t), a very nice coffee/cafe thing. They have good coffee, pastries, very good sandwiches, fresh-made breads that you can choose how wholegrain you want it (light, medium, full grain). They also have a full on salad bar that you can order anything from. It's a very good choice in the morning or in the afternoon on a commute.

       I found other interesting things I hope to get around to looking at as I go. I'll tell you about them as I do. I guess one of my points here is that it is pretty good at giving you what you want for a city. It's actually extremely good at it. There's a little bit of looking around required of course, but very worth it. I really think this place has a bit of something for everyone.  Cheers.